MENTION HORNBILLS and most Malaysians would think of ceremonial feathers, red, yellow and black beads and the tag “Bumi Kenyalang”. That’s the power of branding, with the East Malaysian state of Sarawak (its flag is red, yellow and black) recognised as Land of the Hornbills. The rhinoceros hornbill also takes pride of place on the state’s coat of arms, while the bird is deeply embedded in the cultures of her indigenous peoples, especially the Dayak, whose ceremonial costumes and ornaments strongly feature feathers of both the rhinoceros and helmeted hornbill. And when you say the words hornbills and Peninsular Malaysia, you might, half of the time, get a puzzled look, showing that many people are unaware of these continental hornbills. Much less that there are 10 species that call the peninsula home, two more than those found in Borneo:• Rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros)• Helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil)• Oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)• Black hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus)• White-crowned hornbill (Berenicornis comatus)• Bushy-crested hornbill (Anorrhinus galeritus)• Wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus)• Wrinkled hornbill (Rhyticeros corrugatus)• Great hornbill (Buceros bicornis)*• Plain-pouched hornbill (Rhyticeros subruficollis)**not found on Borneo There are 57 species of hornbills identified globally, with 25 found on the African continent and 32 distributed across 19 Asian countries. Peninsular Malaysia’s 10 marks the second highest diversity in the region, tied with Myanmar and the Philippines, and below only Thailand and Indonesia with 13 species each. Hornbills in Malaysia are found in a variety of habitats, ranging from coastal mangroves to the hill/submontane forests. The most common and adaptable species, the oriental pied hornbill, can be encountered not only in mangrove and lowland forests, but also in agricultural land and orchards.

Other species, such as black, white-crowned, bushy-crested, great, rhinoceros and helmeted hornbills, are more selective and sensitive, requiring more intact, closed-canopy forests usually found in protected areas and forest reserves in Malaysia. Nearly half of Asia’s hornbills are threatened with extinction, with declining populations owing to habitat loss and degradation, poaching and hunting. The helmeted hornbill, one of the most enigmatic species in this region, had its IUCN Red List of Threatened Species status upgraded in 2015 from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered, owing to intense poaching pressure in Indonesia for its casque. Hornbills in Malaysia face similar, though less severe, perils, with habitat loss and degradation being the primary threats across the country. In East Malaysia, the situation is compounded with the threat of poaching/hunting, as hornbills are totally protected in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak under the respective wildlife laws, but permitted to be hunted under strict conditions in Sabah.

MNS and Hornbill Conservation

The MNS Hornbill Conservation Project has achieved incremental milestones since its inception in 2004, despite constant challenges in maintaining a field-based conservation project:• Established the hornbills’ breeding/non-breeding periods in Belum-Temengor Forest Complex.• Located more than 80 nests of eight hornbill species (out of 10) in the forest landscape. The most common are the oriental pied, bushy-crested and rhinoceros hornbills.• Identified at least eight tree species used as nest trees: Koompassia malaccensis, K. excelsa, Intsia palembanica, Hopea odorata, Shorea spp., Dysoxylum grande, Tetrameles nudiflora and Terminalia bellirica from five families (Dipterocarpaceae, Leguminosae, Meliaceae, Tetramelaceae and Combretaceae). All nest trees discovered measure at least 250cm in girth at breast height (GBH).• Developed the innovative HB-IRD (Hornbill Breeding Improvised Recording Device) with a technology company to remotely monitor active breeding hornbills at their nest tree. This is a first for hornbill conservation in Malaysia, and possibly for forest monitoring of hornbills in Asia. Findings for plain-pouched hornbills include:• The species visiting BTFC annually in varying population numbers based on monitoring efforts at Kampung Tebang, Temengor Forest Reserve. The visitation patterns seem to alternate between high and low throughout the years.• The highest count ever recorded in a single session was some 3,200 individuals in 2008.• Documented feeding on emerging mayflies (belonging to the order Ephemeroptera) on several occasions in Kampung Tebang during dawn, possibly a new feeding behaviour. [Note: this behaviour was not seen after the Pos Chiong bay became silted.] • Noted using several types of trees to rest, prior to and after emerging from their night roost(s).• Suspected of roosting south of Temengor. However, it was discovered in 2010 that they could also be roosting in the upper reaches of Sungai Temin (Royal Belum State Park).• Noted to feed on several kinds of fruits including strangling figs (Ficus spp.).

Four sun bears are released into the wild under the Save The Sun Bear Campaign, and it's bittersweet. The MNS Conservation Division reports about the September event.

This is the bittersweet moment juvenile sun bear Avi is released into the wild, when she seems more interested in getting back to her human caretakers than the life she is meant to live. Behind her is the forest of Terengganu National Park, and in front of her are humans, aboard boats on Kenyir Lake, and Avi heads for the people without fear. This comes as no surprise to her National Wildlife Rescue Centre (NWRC) caretakers, among whom the word “manja” is used a lot when it comes to this female bear. “Manja” is a wholly Malay word, whose closest English approximation is “affectionate and a bit clingy”, and this describes Avi well. Hand-reared after being found abandoned as a three-month-old cub near the National Zoo, Avi, almost two years old, is the most affectionate of the sun bear rescues at NWRC. One of the two main keepers at the centre, Cik Mat, smiles as he talks about the release, but this has to be a sad moment. The boats are told to leave, as Avi is not expected to explore her new home with humans present, and Cik Mat is left with two years’ worth of memories – and photographs – of being a surrogate mother to the cub, bottle feeding in his arms like a baby, and then teaching her about being a bear.

Instead of running off, Avi heads down to the water, and the boats, aboard which are her human family

Avi before the release. The juvenile sun bear has hooked the strap used to secure the cages with her sharp claws, and proceeded to play with it. Her keepers' reaction? "Look at that naughty girl, playing with the strap."

K. Ilangovan: Third Save The Sun Bear release

This is the reality of rescue, where success is letting animals live their lives, risks and all, in the wild. The sun bear has a life expectancy of 30 years, and although NWRC – and Cik Mat – is the only home Avi has ever known, it is hoped that the rehabilitation process has taught her enough skills to survive and live out her natural life where she is meant to be. That is the aim of Save The Sun Bear Campaign, a joint effort by Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV), the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (PERHILITAN), the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). K. Ilangovan, FGV’s head of Sustainability Technical, under the Environmental & Sustainability Division, says the release is the third such activity under the five-year campaign that started last year, concentrating on a three-pronged approach of rescue, rehabilitation and release (3Rs); public awareness; and research.

The release at Terengganu National Park, through Lake Kenyir. Sixth from right is K. Ilangovan of FGV, seventh is Fakhrul Hatta Musa, PERHILITAN Deputy Director- General I, and eighth is Salman Saaban, PERHILITAN Director, Ex-situ Conservation. They are accompanied by FGV and PERHILITAN officers and staff; NWRC staff and sun bear keepers; members of the media; and representatives of MNS and UKM.

Three other juveniles brought up from cubhood are also released on this bright, sunny September day, but they run off into the undergrowth as soon as their cage doors are raised. With seven bears released last year and one this past May, this brings to 12 sun bears released under the campaign, with five left at NWRC. However, three are infirm – one is too old, another is blind and the last had lost a paw – with no hope of survival in the wild and will spend the remainder of their days under care. The remaining two are still being rehabilitated, and will be assessed on their suitability to living wild, which includes ability to forage for food, climb trees and avoid conflict with humans.

Two other juveniles are released at the Hulu Terengganu hydroelectric dam area (below)

Fakhrul Hatta Musa, PERHILITAN

The choice of location for the release also plays a part, says Fakhrul Hatta Musa, PERHILITAN Deputy Director General I. Avi and a male bear are placed at the Terengganu National Park while another pair are set free at the Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Dam, Tembat Forest Reserve, with both spots isolated from human population. While adult bears – seized, captured or surrendered – are released almost immediately, NWRC deals with many cubs aged just months old, surrendered by the public thanks to ongoing education efforts. These cubs are nurtured by humans in place of their mothers, and this might make them unafraid to approach human settlement when free, Fakhrul Hatta says. This is not a comforting thought when Avi and the juveniles, who are under two years old, already weigh some 30kg and stand at three feet tall. Full adults can reach an imposing five feet and 80kg, with 10cm claws and scarily strong bite force. During the release event, the males already exhibit their aggressive tendencies, growling, grunting and barking their annoyance (their bark sounds like that of a large dog). And then there’s the ever-present threat of poachers. The Malayan sun bear is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List, owing to destruction of its forest habitat and uncontrolled exploitation for body parts, for example its paws, claws and bile duct. In Malaysia, there’s also a market for exotic meats, and bear is high on the list of desirable delicacies.

As the boats back away, Avi is busy splashing away in the water. Her keepers later joke that given a chance, the bear would happily try to climb aboard one of the vessels to be with the only family she has ever known. This family will keep a watch on the release sites for up to a week, and on Avi and the others via their radio collars for up to a year, but that’s all that they can do.The future is unknown for Avi, the “manja” individual who had taken to suckling her rear paw when stressed, as a child would suck its thumb to comfort itself. However, those who believe in Save The Sun Bear surely have to trust that they are doing the right thing for this Malayan sun bear and her kin, for the future of the species as a whole.

The future is uncertain for the rescued sun bears, and Avi, seen here suckling her paw as a child would suck its thumb. But those who believe in the campaign have to trust that they are saving the sun bear.

Mamat the Tapir, representative of MNS, witnesses the release, as the bear cages are put aboard a boat, powered across Lake Kenyir and finally unloaded onto Terengganu National Park land.

The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) took part in the launch of Rewilding Yu, a project related to a years-long fight to protect the Sungai Yu Tiger Corridor bisected by a major highway in the state of Pahang. The highway separates two main forests which form the habitat of the Malayan tiger, plus other large mammals and other wildlife, and the eco-viaduct is hoped to help keep the animals safe when crossing from one forest to the other. Having successfully lobbied for the viaduct, which runs under an elevated section of the highway, the plan now is to reforest the area, which will encourage wildlife to utilise the crossing. The initiative by MYCAT, an alliance comprising MNS, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, WWF-Malaysia and Wildlife Conservation Society-Malaysia Programme, was launched on 29 July 2016, which is also Global Tiger Day, and officiated at by YAM Tengku Aishah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Parked under the four-lane highway on a hot afternoon, the launch saw a gathering of guests made up of representatives of the alliance members; initiative supporters, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), Department of Wildlife and National Park Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan), Forestry Department, Public Works Department, Lipis District Council; the state assembly representative; and members of the local community.

In her speech, Dr. Kae Kawanishi called on all Malaysians to protect Mother Nature and all her animals. Highlighting the dwindling number of Malayan tigers, she said Rewilding Yu complemented MYCAT’s other initiative, Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT) Walk, in which volunteers patrolled tiger areas to remove snares and discourage poaching. Rewilding Yu’s target by 2020 is to plant half a million trees in the Tiger Corridor. Officiating the event, Tengku Aishah reiterated the need to protect Pahang’s forests, which were the largest remaining habitat able to support the Malayan tiger and other large mammals. Representing the Regent of Pahang, who was unable to attend owing to prior commitments, the Princess then sportingly wielded a shovel to ceremoniously plant the first trees in the Sungai Yu Tiger Corridor, and even took time to pose with mascots TJ the Tiger and Rus the Sambar.

Tengku Aishah also took the time to pose with TJ the Tiger as well as visit displays set up by Perhilitan and MyCat.

Dozens of saplings, a mix of ferns, banana trees and palms, provided by MNS, were also planted by attendees, including MNS President Henry Goh and interns currently serving at the society from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and Universiti Malaya. The eco viaduct is situated in the vicinity of the Sungai Yu recreational area, where the actual river that runs through the Tiger Corridor. The major highway has replaced the original road from Kuala Lipis to Merapoh.

MNS President Henry Goh, MNS Head of Conservation Balu Perumal, the Society's interns and Mamat the Tapir leaving their mark at Sungai Yu

TJ, Mamat is not for noms! TJ the Tiger and Mamat the Tapir ham it up to bring attention to the plight of the country's large mammals. The forests of Pahang are the last bastion of these creatures, which are increasingly endangered. Right: Mamat helping to plant a tree.

The eco viaduct, under an elevated section of the new highway from Kuala Lipis to Merapoh, is situated in the vicinity of Sungai Yu and connects the forest areas in the Main Range and Taman Negara Pahang